Friday Bolts – 9.16.11

KD on Ricky Rubio: “Was arguing with my same bum friends on twitter earlier that I always disagree with…this time it was about Ricky Rubio. They say he’s terrible, I think he’s nice. Trust me, he can hoop!”

Got ‘Em Coach on KD: “Now, Kevin’s approachable. Relatable. He’s not just the guy on television. You’ve seen him in your hometown. You’ve watched him play for nothing. You see his passion. Make no mistake about it: whenever the NBA comes back, you’re going to tune in to see Kevin Durant, you’re going to check the Thunder’s record, and you’re going to hope to see his truly unique game in person.”

Derek Fisher sent a letter to players and it’s got some interesting stuff: “The most recent meetings in New York were effective. What you have been told by your agents, representatives and the media is probably speculative and inaccurate. What actually happened in those meetings was discussion, brainstorming and a sharing of options by both sides. The turning point this past Tuesday was not a disagreement between the players and the owners. It was actually a fundamental divide between the owners internally. They could not agree with each other on specific points of the deal and therefore it caused conflict within the league and its owners.”

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “If you had been accused by your employer of plotting an illegal strategy, would you save them the trouble of having to prove it? No, Hunter will not. He and Fisher are in charge of this negotiation for the players, even as so few players seem to notice or participate. They are prepared to lead the talks down the path they ultimately must find — to a handshake between Hunter and Stern on another collective bargaining agreement, almost certainly the last for both. There is no questioning Hunter’s or Fisher’s motives, but where the rest of the players stand remains a mystery. The stars who get all the money and endorsements, who want all the shots at the end of the game, are still on the bench — still not in this fight. By the time they get to the scorer’s table, or the airport security line, it might be too late.”

Henry Abbott on that concept: “But does that really mean it wouldn’t ruffle your feathers to have your boss announce a fat pay cut? Be honest now. It’s not a weird thing to go around in your life saying “I’d like a square deal, please.” Even if you have a million dollars in the bank are you supposed to be cool with paying $80 for a cup of coffee? Hell no! You decline that deal, and get $3 coffee around the corner. The players might not feel like the league has been offering an $80 cup of coffee, but they felt it was not a fair deal, so they exercised their right to get a better deal. That does not make them spoiled or strange.”

I just wish they would quit blaming each other. They're acting like a bunch of children and this needs to be resolved. Btw I didn't even know that the Refs had their own union or that they were even in negotiations for a new CBA. Glad it's out of the way though.